The present invention relates to a firearm, particularly a handgun with a movably mounted barrel which takes up at least a part of the fire recoil and, after passing over a predetermined first travel path, gives it up, in whole or in part, to a first force receiver.
In the following, terminology will be employed which serves for easier reading of the specification but is not to be understood in a limitative manner. For instance, the expressions "top", "bottom", "front", "rear", "transverse", etc. refer to a device of the above-indicated type which is held in its customary position of use; for instance to a pistol upon ordinary shooting in precision target shooting. This terminology includes the words mentioned above as well as derivations from these words and words of similar meaning. Thus the front part of the device is that part which faces the target of the cartridges and therefore, for instance, the practice target in the case of a firearm. The longitudinal direction of the device coincides with the direction of shooting.
Devices of the aforementioned type, in particular firearms, are known, for instance, as bolt guns or as hand firearms of the Colt-Browning type, particularly for the firing of heavy cartridges ("Waffenjournal", 1979, No. 7, pp. 908-910).
For a clearer understanding of the starting point of the invention, known pistols of the aforementioned type are shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. These weapons are so-called locked automatic pistols.
In the ready-for-firing position, a swingable tube, referred to below as the barrel 2, rests against an impact bottom 4 of a breechblock 6. The rear section 8 of the barrel which is developed as cartridge chamber has on its top locking lugs 10 which engage into corresponding grooves in the breechblock 6 and connect the barrel 2 rigidly to the breechblock 6 before the firing.
Furthermore, such pistols have a handle 12 the handgrip of which (not shown here) generally surrounds a magazine shaft for receiving a replaceable magazine. The breechblock 6 is displaceably mounted on the handle 12. Upon the firing of a shot, the cartridge is accelerated in forward direction. In accordance with the principle of conservation of momentum, there is thereby produced the known recoil which drives the barrel together with the breechblock 6 towards the rear. The breechblock 6 then carries out a return or opening movement in longitudinal direction from the ready-for-firing position towards a housing-attached breech stop 14, against the action of a closure spring 16 which is arranged below and substantially parallel to the barrel 2.
In FIG. 1, the rear section 8 of the barrel bears on its lower side a barrel attachment 18 having a cam curve which consists essentially of an unlocking curve 20 and a locking curve 22.
Upon firing, the barrel 2 and the breechblock 6 move together over the path s. Thereupon, under the simultaneous action of a control bolt 24 which is fixed on the housing and comes into engagement with the unlocking curve 20 (FIG. 1), or by the action of link members 26 (FIG. 2), the barrel comes out of engagement with the breechblock 6. The breechblock 6 then travels further by itself up to a breech stop 14 which is fixed on the housing, reverses, and is again accelerated forward by the breech spring 16 and therefore carries out a forward travel or closing movement.
During this breechblock forward travel, a new cartridge is fed from the magazine to the cartridge chamber of the barrel 2. The barrel 2 is then swung upward via the control elements described and again locked to the breechblock 6. The barrel 2 and the breechblock 6 then slide together forward until the barrel attachment 18 strikes against a transverse pin 28 which is fastened to the housing and the barrel 2, together with the breechblock 6, comes to a stop in the position of readiness for fire.
After the detonating of the cartridge, the process described is repeated.
There are a very large number of structural variants of the Colt-Browning system described above; all variants have, in common, a barrel which, upon its rearward movement together with the breechblock, swings downward at least at its rear section and thereby releases the breechblock.
As is known, the recoil of the known firearms of this type is disturbing and frequently painful. This is particularly true of handguns of large caliber in which the recoil is transmitted from the housing to the firing hand. Upon rapidly successive firing, the recoil become unpleasant for the user and impairs the accuracy of the shooting.
It is already known to reduce the disturbance caused the user by the recoil by having the breechblock, after passing over a travel path, strike a force receiver which is fastened to the housing, not directly but via a buffer device.
Thus, for instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,031,808 (RAVILLE) describes an automatic pistol of the Colt-Browning type which has a link. The link, in known manner, releases the barrel from its lock to the breechblock as soon as the barrel has traveled in rearward direction over the locking path. The breechblock transmits its recoil to a force receiver fixed to the housing first of all via a breech spring and then, after passing over a travel path, via a pneumatic cylinder/piston arrangement.
Furthermore, Swiss Patent 494 384 (Heckler & Koch) also describes an automatic pistol having a breechblock which, upon its return travel, first comes against the breech spring and, after passing over a travel path, against a buffer device. The breechblock, the barrel and the buffer device are in this case parts of the automatic loading mechanism.
Finally, German DE 87 09 139 U1 (PETERS) also describes an automatic pistol of the Colt system. The barrel of this automatic pistol has a barrel attachment which, by a control surface, slides onto a ramp surface of a control piece which is fixed to the housing and in this way eliminates its prior interlock with the breechblock. The control piece is connected with a guide rod for the breech spring, the guide rod and the breech spring being located below the barrel.